RUSSIA'S ECONOMIC WOES PUT KREMLIN CUP IN JEOPARDY

Financial problems in Russia "mean" that the tennis
court "may not be ready" for the Kremlin Cup tournament
scheduled to start on October 19, according to Gennady
Fyodorov of REUTERS. Event organizers said that "they could
not afford the import duties" for the indoor surface being
shipped to Moscow this week, and are "hoping customs
officials will turn a blind eye." General Dir Yakov
Shakhtin: "I'm hoping the customs people will understand our
situation." The tournament has cut expenses for both the
women's and men's tournaments -- (scheduled for November 9)
-- including dropping the opening and closing ceremonies,
decreasing handouts of souvenirs, and "all but" eliminating
free VIP passes. Prize money remains at $950,000 for the
women and $1.2M for the men (REUTERS, 10/7).
TENNIS: Pilot Pen Int'l Tournament CEO Mike Davies
confirmed yesterday that after nine years in New Haven, CT,
the men's tennis tournament was sold for $1.7M to Austrian
investment group Kitzbuhel (HARTFORD COURANT, 10/9).